Pacific Sports and Herbalife have today announced the Herbalife Challenge, a pro race that will match the women against the men in a handicap format and will award the first pro across the finish line with a US$3,000 first place prize.
The men-versus-women format will be at the Sprint distance during the Herbalife Triathlon on 21 September. It will give the women pros a six minute, 15 seconds (06:15) head start over the men and the opportunity to say ‘catch us if you can!’
Once the time differential has passed, the pro men will take off and try to beat ‘The Challenge’ posed by the pro women.
The Herbalife Triathlon has a new course in the City of Torrance, California, with a start and finish on Torrance Beach, the historic site of the Hollywood Riviera Beach Club (1931 -1958). The course is laid out in the ITU-style with multiple loops in each segment: swim, bike and run.
As the organisers point out, the looping course gives spectators a great opportunity to see a lot of action, and Olympic, Sprint, Super Sprint, Youth and relays offer distances for all fitness levels and ages.
“With the new course, we thought it would be a great time to change things up for the pros,” said Jack Caress, Herbalife Triathlon Race Director. ”We’re offering the shorter sprint distance and the added challenge of the men trying to catch the women. The first person across the finish line – man or woman – wins the $3,000.”
Herbalife will be providing Challenge prize money of US$8,000 in the following breakdown: 1st place = US$3,000; 2nd place = US$2,000; 3rd place = US$1,000; 4th place = US$800; 5th place = US$650; and 6th place = US$550.
The Herbalife Triathlon is also supporting KIDS in the GAME, a non-profit organization that supports low income children in the Torrance area and gets them in sports and physical activities. Data shows that youth who are involved in sports and physical activities are less likely to drop out of school, have less misconduct, less obesity and health issues, and have better academic performance.
To contribute to KIDS in the GAME and help a Torrance youth participate in sports, athletes, friends and family can donate online.
Registration for the Herbalife Triathlon 2014 is still open (150 spots remain in the capped field of 1,500).
The Herbalife Triathlon schedule includes the Saturday 20 September TriathlonLAB Fitness Expo from 10:00 to 17:00 PST at the Torrance Marriott South Bay, 3635 Fashion Way, with vendors, retailers, workshops and course talks, all of which are free to the public.
Saturday is also late registration (if there are spots open) and mandatory packet pickup for competitors. Residents and employees of Torrance businesses who register using a Torrance address will receive a 10% discount on the entry fee. When residents/businesspersons register through ACTIVE they must use code TORR and the discount will be automatically calculated. Competition distances include Olympic, Sprint and Super Sprint, relays, two youth courses and a 5K running race.
Race day is Sunday 21 September with the start and finish lines, and Expo festival on Torrance Beach.
Founded in 1983 and based in Orange County, California, Pacific Sports is a premier sports consulting firm, specializing in event development, production, management, and corporate sports marketing and development. It specializes in participatory lifestyle events including triathlon, running and cycling.
The company and its founder, Jack Caress, have produced more than 400 endurance events in the United States, including the 1996 Triathlon World Championships and 12 US Championships. Pacific Sports currently produces 10 events annually, February through October, including the longest running triathlon in the US – 37 years – the Newport Beach Triathlon.
2014 sees two inaugural events, the Brooklyn Triathlon on iconic Coney Island and the US Open Triathlon in Texas. Pacific Sports’ largest event, the Herbalife Triathlon, has seen more than 40,000 competitors swim, bike and run in its 14 year history.
www.PacificSportsLLC.com
www.TorranceCA.Gov
